18 hours Ago By Katherine McPhillips
Carrots are a springtime staple that are the perfect side dish at Easter, but you are making a huge mistake if you are boiling them. When you boil carrots, the vitamins inside the vegetable can leech away in the water and also dilute their natural sweetness. Ashley, a cook and founder of Not Without Salt , has shared that cooking carrots in water can leave them “water laden, limp and [should be] ultimately avoided at all costs”, so they will be incredibly unappetising to eat.
If you want to make sure carrots are both healthy and flavourful, then it is much better to sauté them instead. Cooking carrots in a little bit of fat instead of water helps make them crispier and keeps all the good nutrients like vitamin C. Not only does it improve the texture, but brings out the sugars in the carrot to caramelise them so you get a much richer taste.
A very popular way to sauté carrots is in a balsamic vinegar coating, as it helps intensify their sweet flavour while also giving them a glossy, slightly sticky coating. Ashley said: “These carrots are cooked in butter (so far so good right?!) then given a bit of a sweet kick with the addition of a touch of sugar, and finally, balsamic is added – bringing carrots into a whole new dimension. “Sweet, tangy and salty – a pyramid of complexity that has won over diners who were self-proclaimed carrot avoiders.
” You will need: 900g of carrots 55g of butter (half a stick) Two tablespoons of sugar Two spring onions (thinly sliced) 60ml of balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper Method To begin, melt butter in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Chop up the carrots until each slice is the same size (one centimetre each) and then add to the pot. Cook the carrots for five to seven minutes until they are slightly tender and just beginning to crisp up.
Add the sugar and vinegar, then continue to stir and cook the carrots for 10 more minutes under they are fully coated in the mixture. Cut the spring onions and cook them for five minutes until crispy in a separate pan. Once the carrots are ready, season with salt and pepper, then top with the green onions.
Your mouthwatering glazed carrots will then be ready to serve..
